


One Night Stand

by Jodithann827



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Early X-Files, F/M, One Night Stands, Pre-X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:02:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jodithann827/pseuds/Jodithann827
Summary: What happens when Mulder and Scully meet before she joined the FBI?  What happens if they have a one night stand?  What happens because of the consequences of that one night?
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 55
Kudos: 262





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there... I have never posted anything before, hell I've never really even written a fanfic before, but this idea came to me one night and I ended up writing 24 pages the next day. The words just flew from my brain to the paper. I am not a writer. I'm just a special ed. teacher with a love of the x-files. This is unedited so I make no promises on how good it is, but if you choose to read on, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I don't think this is AU but might not be series compliant? I do not focus on dates or specifics, sorry...

Chapter 1  
Friday, May 8th 1990  
Bar Louie  
“Dana come on,” Ellen squealed, pulling her quiet and hesitant friend through the dingy and smoke-filled bar entrance. Dana paused momentarily before allowing her best friend to lead her in; right up to the crowded bar. Although this was not typically how Dana Katherine Scully would spend an evening, her friend insisted that they were in need of celebrating! 

“What’ll ya have?” a 20 something, green-eyed, dimpled cheeked, bartender asked. “Two long islands,” Ellen yelled over the house band. “El…” Dana started. She wasn’t usually much of a drinker, and that amount of alcohol, she could only imagine. “Oh come on Dana, live a little. We are celebrating. You can go back to being studious and boring tomorrow!” Ellen informed her. Some friend, Dana thought.

“What are you ladies celebrating?” the bartender asked, filling their drinks. “My best friend here has not only finished medical school but she just found out she has been recruited by the FBI!” Ellen shrieked. “It took her weeks to finally make a decision but she decided to go for it!” Ellen took a long sip of her drink.

“Impressive red,” the bartender said, commenting on Dana’s auburn locks, handing her her drink, along with a wink of the eye. Dana blushed, cursing her pale skin and Irish heritage. She looked down at the glass in her hand and lifted it to her lips for a drink. “Thanks. I don’t think it has fully sunk in yet.” “Your parents must be thrilled with you not continuing medicine,” he added sarcastically. Dana rolled her eyes and replied, “you have no idea!” “Well, you ladies enjoy your night, and if you need anything else, anything at all, the name is Mark” he winked again. Ellen waved and pulled Dana further into the place. 

“He was some nice eye candy,” Ellen yelled in Dana’s ear, as the music became louder, the closer to the dance floor they got. “Come on El, I am not interested. You know how long it took me to get over Ryan,” Dana sighed, matter of factly. “Dana, come on. You broke up with him, and might I remind you it was almost 10 months ago. You need to let your guard down and have some fun. Live a little. Heaven forbid you make a life changing decision and not take a moment and enjoy it” Ellen led Dana closer to the dance floor. “What, you think I am just going to lay eyes on some guy and hop into bed with him?” She asked her friend. “That’s the spirit,” Ellen replied, giggling. Dana rolled her eyes for the second time that evening. “Dana, I am just asking you to let loose, have some fun, and enjoy this night. You made a huge decision that has been weighing on you for weeks. No more anxiety when thinking about your path in life, or thinking about having to tell your parents. What did mom and Ahab say anyways?” They moved to a corner, finding a small table with two chairs by the dance floor. “Oh my dad was over the moon,” Dana said, sipping her drink while watching the dance floor. A guy who appeared to be around her age, tall, and sandy brown hair caught her eye. “Really?” Ellen asked. “No! Come on Ellen, you know my parents. But at the end of the day I told them that this was my life and I felt like it was the path I needed to follow and that at least they could respect that”. “Aw my little Dana all grown up,” Ellen cooed at her friend. Dana gave her a look that instantly told her to shut the hell up. “Come on. We are going to drink, dance, celebrate, and if we happen to meet some cute guys, then so be it,” Ellen said, standing, while finishing off her first drink. Dana took a final swig of hers. Ellen grabbed her hands and led her towards the dance floor. This was going to be a long night, Dana thought. 

“Dude, if this is how you celebrate a big break I cannot imagine what you do for other celebrations,” Derek yelled into the ear of his colleague, Fox William Mulder. “You kicked some ass my friend. Your profile nailed that son of a bitch.” Fox Mulder took a swig of his beer but did not answer. He looked around the dance floor; singles dancing shamelessly up against each other. He sighed. This wasn’t his scene; bumping and grinding next to total strangers. However he and his team had just broken a huge case they had been working on for weeks and a celebration was called for. He reluctantly joined the guys for a few beers at a local bar. If he had anything to say about it he would enjoy one more round and sneak out before his colleagues would notice. 

“Would you care to dance?” A long legged blonde asked as she neared him. “Yo, earth to Mulder!” Derek yelled, nabbing his friend’s attention. “Sorry,” Mulder explained, looking at the woman. He looked at his friend, who egged him on. “Sure thing,” he replied, leading her out to the dance floor. 

As he danced he took in his surroundings. Singles, couples, groups, typical Friday night. He looked towards the front corner of the dance floor and noticed a young woman with red hair, who quickly turned her eye from his. He smiled and continued dancing with the blonde. The song slowed and the blonde shifted closer towards him. “Want to get out of here?” she purred. Something about the redhead intrigued him. “No thanks,” he responded as he moved away, leaving the woman on the dance floor stunned. His eyes scanned the bar for the pretty redhead but he did not see her where she was sitting.

“Mulder, what are you doing?” Derek caught up with him. “That chick was a hot piece of ass. What the hell are you still doing here?” Mulder shooed him off and made his way to the bar to get another beer. He squeezed his way in between waves of people and while he waited to order, the redhead suddenly appeared next to him. While she waited patiently to order a drink Mulder decided to take a leap and make small talk.

“I saw you over by the dance floor earlier,” he learned over and shouted to her. The noise surrounding them made talking difficult. She turned to look at him and smiled. “You weren’t dancing,” Mulder continued, attempting to make small talk. Dana smiled again and opened her mouth, but was interrupted by the bartender. “What can I get ya?” “Um, rum and diet coke please,” she said. Mulder suddenly interjected, “and I’ll have a hopper. Put the lady’s drink on my bill”. She turned and looked at him. “You didn’t have to do that, I would have talked to you for free,” she told him, giving him a wide smile. Mulder was stunned speechless for a minute. “But thank you,” she continued, “And no, I wasn’t on the dance floor. This is, I’m not really a bar person.” “So what brings you out to a bar on a Friday night if you aren’t a bar person?” Mulder asked, learning his back against the counter. Dana lifted her hand and pointed in the direction of the dance floor. “My best friend Ellen. She had this crazy idea that we needed to come out and celebrate and she thought staying at home on a Friday would not accomplish that.” The bartender handed them their drinks. Mulder took out his wallet and paid the bill, leaving a generous tip.

“What are you celebrating?” Mulder asked. “A new career,” Dana replied, keeping the details light. “Congratulations, when do you start?” Mulder asked, taking a sip of his drink. “Actually not for a bit. I have to go through some training first, but I am looking forward to it…” Just as she finished Ellen staggered over to her and draped her arms over Dana’s shoulder. “Dane, you need to come dance! Who's your friend? He’s cuuuute” Her words staggering like her legs. Dana turned but realized she had no idea.

“William,” Mulder said, sticking out his hand, allowing Ellen to shake it. Just then a tall and lanky guy in his mid 20s with jet black hair came and pulled Ellen back towards the dance floor.  
“I’m Dana,” Dana said, taking another sip of her drink. “Nice to meet you,” Mulder responded. He liked talking to this mystery woman. He did not want to let her go. To hell with it, he thought, and then said, “Would you like to dance?” Dana hardly skipped a beat before responding, “Yes!”

They made their way out to the crowded dance floor, overflowing with sweaty 20-something coeds. They rocked their bodies in time with the music, occasionally making small talk.  
“Born and raised in the area?” Mulder asked as he bent his head close to her ear. “Born, not raised,” she replied, biting softly on her lower lip. Mulder groaned internally. “I’m part of a Navy family. My dad is a captain. I grew up traveling the world,” she continued. Mulder nodded, keeping his body in close. “What about you?” Dana asked, swaying her hips. Mulder, whose hands were close to her hips moved them ever so slightly. “I grew up in Martha’s Vineyard and went to school in Oxford. But now I call this place home.” Dana nodded, listening to him talk, mesmerized by his voice. She wasn’t sure what had come over her. Very rarely was she ever so enraptured by a guy, especially one she did not know. 

“Can I tell you something strange?” Mulder asked, slowing his movements. Dana nodded, not trusting her voice. “I feel like you are a person I have known forever, and I swear that is not a pickup line,” he said, smirking. Dana smiled and nodded. She leaned closer to him and, after biting her bottom lip again, whispered, “do you want to go somewhere and talk?” Mulder nodded sheepishly and allowed this red-headed stranger to lead him off the dance floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dana gets Mulder back to her place... naughtiness ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I just started writing so please be kind. Also I am not a smut writer for forgive the attempt. I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

Dana Scully Residence  
Friday, May 8th 1990

“That sounds like an amazing time,” Dana said, unlocking her apartment door. She and Mulder had gone for coffee and talked for an hour, about simple things; hobbies, childhoods, school. They tried to stay away from heavy topics and yet they still did not want to call it a night. They hit it off and talking seemed so simple. They talked about Dana’s family, Mulder’s time in England, and were enjoying each other’s company. They kept the conversation light and enjoyable.

“You know William, I know it sounds cliche, but I don’t really do this,” she said, hanging her coat up on the entryway hook and dropping her keys onto the side table by the door. That was a lie; she NEVER did this. She could not believe she was even entertaining the idea. She never brought guys home to her apartment.  
“What? Invite strangers back to your apartment?” he said. She smiled and looked at him. He continued, “Look, Dana, I don’t really do this sort of thing eith…” but before he could get the words out, Dana lunged herself forward into his arms, her mouth enveloping his. He opened his mouth to her and immediately moaned. She ran her tongue across the roof of his mouth. She pulled him by his shirt and guided him to her bedroom.  
“So you live here…” he started, but she interjected, “Alone.” 

Mulder guided his hands up and down her back, setting one hand just above the dip of her ass, the other hand sneaking under the hem of her shirt. Dana made a start of undoing her buttons, slowly stripping off her shirt. Mulder moved his hands over hers to help her. He removed his lips from hers and moved slowly down to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Once free of her shirt, Mulder started at the black lacy bra she was wearing. Dana could have sworn she saw his mouth water. Mulder reached behind and quickly snapped open her bra. He slowly pulled the straps down, his mouth following the trail, licking, kissing, nipping, and sucking at her shoulder. 

“So beautiful…” he whispered. Dana blushed furiously. She never did anything like this; but she decided from the minute she walked into her apartment, she was going to enjoy her evening. Something about him made her completely comfortable. She twined her fingers through his hair as he pulled a pink, pert nipple into his mouth. He licked over it with his tongue and began sucking and swirling his tongue around the peak. His other hand came to the other breast. He began kneading it. “Oh William,” she moaned. She reached for the button on his jeans, swiftly opening them and yanking them down. “Do you have anything?” she asked, in a deep and husky voice. Mulder gently let go of her nipple, slowly dragging his tongue across her skin to her other breast. She walked him backward and they fell onto her bed. She straddled his now bare legs, feeling his erection hard between her legs.

“William,” she said again, a little more forcefully. He pulled her other breast from his mouth and looked up at her.  
“Do you have a condom?” she asked again. He sheepishly looked like a deer in headlights. She thought it was a little endearing, knowing he went out not planning to get laid. Dana rolled off him and reached to the drawer beside her bed. She had leftover condoms from her last relationship, thankful for having them now and not tossing them at Ryan’s head when she kicked him out for the last time. She opened the drawer, pulled out a condom, and tossed it to him, implicitly telling him that he needed to put it on. Mulder smiled a thank you, pulled his boxers off, opened the package, and rolled it over his throbbing member. Dana pulled her pants down and Mulder noticed the matching black lace panties. He groaned again. 

“How do you…” he started but she interrupted him by replying, “on top…”  
She climbed back onto him and slowly sunk down on his waiting hardness. “Oh god,” she said breathlessly.  
“I’m sorry,” Mulder stammered. She smiled and kissed him directly on his lips.  
“It’s ok,” she replied, sucking in her bottom lip, “it’s just been a while.” Mulder pulled her lip into his mouth and sucked, though he didn’t dare move until she was ready. He could feel her insides stretching as she adjusted to his width. “You feel so amazing,” he whispered into her ear, “so wet and so tight.” He sucked on her earlobe. “Mmmm,” was all she could acknowledge. She started to rock against his body slowly. He started to move with her. He pulled a breast back into his mouth and she placed one hand on his chest. Her rocking became faster and more hurried. “It’s been a while so I am sorry I don’t know how long…” he tried to say.  
“Put your hand on my hip,” she commanded. His hands immediately went to her sides, where he gripped and circled his thumbs over her fiery skin. “It’s been a while for me too”. His lips found the crook of her neck again and he began to nip and suck. She rode him faster and faster.

“Oh my god William, oh god that feels incredible” she panted. “So close” he added, moaning. He thrusted up into her, meeting her each way. He was close but he desperately wanted her to fall to her pleasure as well. He slipped his hand between them and he thumbed her clit. She jumped at the initial contact but continued her rhythm. “Oh my...so close,” she panted, grinding into him. He sped his fingers up and grunted into her neck.

“Oh, oh oh William, yes. Don’t stop. Oh my god, I’m cuming” she moaned, as her muscles clamped around him, overtaken by her release. Suddenly, Mulder exploded into her, biting down on her neck. Breathing heavily, she slowly rolled off of him. “Wow,” he sighed, trying to slow his beating heart. 

Dana rolled off the bed and headed to her bathroom. She closed the door part of the way, trying to get her breathing under control. That was mind altering, she thought to herself as she used the toilet. She finished, flushed, and washed her hands. She then opened the door and looked at the guy in her bed. “Bathroom is free,” she said, almost shyly, walking over to the bed. Mulder smiled, rolled over, and made his way to the bathroom. When the door shut, Dana quickly slipped on her panties and a ribbed tank top. She got back into bed and snuggled into the covers. 

A few minutes later the bathroom door opened and Mulder emerged. He stopped for a moment, gathering his boxers, clearly uncomfortable, not wanting to presume his next movements. Dana smiled and moved the covers, indicating that it was ok if he joined her. He made his way into the bed and looked at her.  
“That was amazing,” he said, kissing her lips slowly. He worked his tongue into her mouth gently. She smiled into the kiss.  
“Yes it was,” she replied, unsure of how to continue, knowing her next words were not what he would want to hear.  
“I sense a but coming,” Mulder stated.  
“But,” she said hesitantly, “I am just starting out in a new career that is going to be intense, time consuming, and I think that is what I need to focus on right now,” she said, her eyes casting downward. He smiled and lifted his finger to her chin, pulling her face up so she was looking at him.  
“It’s ok. We are both adults. I know I can speak for myself and say I had a really good time. I understand work and intensity,” he added.  
“It’s just one night stand sounds so cheap,” she sighed.  
“Hey, look,” he encouraged, taking her cheek in his hand, “it’s ok. Again we are both adults. I think we both had a really good time,” she blushed again at his words, “had some fun, some amazingly hot sex, some great conversation, not all in that order. That is all it has to be. It is ok, I promise, an amazing night” he assured her.  
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “Why?” he asked, “for giving me a mind blowing orgasm? Please do not apologize for that!” She smiled and softly kissed his lips.  
“Do you want me to go?” he asked, adding, “I will not be offended if you say yes.”  
“It’s late. I think the best thing would be for you to stay, if that’s okay with you. I mean the word night is in one night stand” she said, smiling and snuggling into his body. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly they fell into a dreamless sleep.

Scully Residence  
Saturday morning, May 9 1990

Dana opened her eyes slowly, reliving the last 12 hours. DId she really…  
“Good morning,” came a husky voice next to her.  
“Hi,” she said, quietly.  
“I didn’t want to take off while you were sleeping,” he told her. He so badly wanted to reach out to her and take her in his arms.  
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she replied, moving closer to him.  
“You know Dana, even though it is called a one night stand, technically a day is 24 hours and we are still under that…” he was reaching and he knew she knew it.  
“Shut up William,” she said, moving steadily towards his mouth. “Do you have anywhere pressing to be?”  
“Just inside you again,” and then he made good on his word; over and over again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some realizations happen for Dana the day after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me! Sorry this is a shorter chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Saturday, May 9th 1990  
Starbucks  
“Is it considered a one night stand if you have sex multiple times?” she asked Ellen when they sat down at the coffee shop. Dana had called her friend about an hour after William left and asked to meet her for coffee. She could not wait to detail her evening to her confidante.  
“Dana Katherine Scully!” Ellen screeched. Several patrons of the coffee shop looked over.  
“Ellen!” Dana said in a hushed tone.  
“Sorry!” Ellen replied, not looking sorry at all. “I wondered where you had gone to but then I looked up and saw you leaving with that guy.”  
“Sorry about that. I figured you would hail a cab home,” Dana told her, feeling badly for a second about leaving her friend.  
“Don’t sweat it. You did exactly what I wanted you to do,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee.  
“Get laid?” Dana asked, smiling.  
“Apparently more than once,” Ellen replied, smirking.  
“Last night,” Dana said, dramatically paused, and then continued, “and again this morning, and then after that, in the shower,”. Ellen’s jaw dropped.  
“What?” Dana asked innocently, “I was making up for lost time.” Ellen chuckled and then said, “It must have been good. So when are you going to see him again?” Dana locked down at her now empty coffee mug.  
“You are going to see him again, right?”  
“Well, we actually decided to let last night just be last night,” Dana replied.  
“And this morning,” Ellen reminded her. Dana raised her eyebrow at her friend. Ellen continued, “and by we you mean you, right?” Ellen knew her friend better than anyone.  
“Ellen you know what my life is about to be like. This is not the time to start something,” Dana informed her, really trying to convince herself.  
“Jeez Dana, it’s not like you were getting married. What is wrong with befriending a good looking, single guy who is good in bed… it was good, wasn’t it? I mean three times…” she smirked. Dana blushed furiously and replied, “toe curling and out of this world.” She then considered Ellen’s words. There was nothing wrong with gaining a new friend. He seemed to understand that she could not get into a relationship at the current time. Maybe she had made a mistake?  
“Did he at least leave you his number?” Ellen asked. Dana’s face dropped, realizing that she did not think he had.  
“Did you at least get his last name?” Ellen pressed. Dana shook her head.  
“Well, maybe he left something of yours at the apartment that could clue you into who he is,” Ellen tried. “Or,” Dana responded slowly, “it is what is was, a fun evening, amazing sex, and some great memories.” She sounded dejected for a moment, her eyes downcast into her coffee. Ellen looked at her friend. She had known Dana a long time and when Dana fell, she fell hard. She didn’t date a lot, but when she did, it was for a while. Her last relationship, Ryan had lasted almost a year and before that she dated some professor from medical school, though Dana never divulged his name to her. Hopefully, for her friend’s sake, this truly would be a one night stand and she could get over it quickly. Unfortunately, Ellen doubted it. 

Later on, after returning from her coffee date with Ellen, Dana scoured her apartment, looking for any clue that would lead her to William, however she found nothing. It was like he had never been there. She sat back on her couch and sighed, trying to reassure herself of what she’d said to her friend. It was just a one night stand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully begins to see the consequence of her one night stand...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That you everyone for the feedback. I have loved writing this story so much it is interesting becuase even though I am typing the words, I can totally see how the stories write themselves. With that being said, there may or may not be a curveball in the chapter... please don't be mad at me.

Friday, June 12, 1990  
Quantico

Dana Scully breathlessly jogged over to the water fountain. Sweat poured down her face like a waterfall. She had just finished running 15 miles and was headed for the shooting range after a quick shower to get in some target practice. She had started her FBI training 3 weeks ago and was loving every single second of it. Even though at first she had her doubts, she knew from the moment she set foot at Quantico, it was the right decision for her. The training challenged her body and mind. She loved every minute of learning.   
“Some run, huh Dana?” Kelsey, another trainee, asked, jogging up to the fountain behind her.   
“No kidding. I’m used to running but man,” Dana responded, bending over to catch her breath, placing her hands on her thighs.. She had met Kelsey on the first day of training and they bonded quickly.  
“Want to go shooting after we clean up?” Dana asked her friend. Kelsey checked her watch and then looked up at Dana. She nodded and replied, “I have a little bit of time.” They made their way to the locker room to change from their gym clothes.   
“Any plans for the weekend Dana?” Kelsey asked, making idle chit chat while they changed.  
“Reading up on old cases, family dinners, nothing major,” she replied, pulling her clothes off. She entered the shower quickly to clean off. As steam filled the room she felt a wave of nausea hit her. She put her hand on the shower wall to steady herself. She slowly breathed in her nose and out through her mouth, trying to focus on Kelsey’s voice, and counting to ten. Once gaining her barings, she quickly washed off, got out, and dressed. She sat down on one of the locker room benches and put her head in her hands. SHe took a deep breath and walked out to meet Kelsey, who had finished before her.  
“Dana are you ok? You look a little pale,” Kelsey commented once after taking a quick look at Dana.   
“I’m not feeling so well suddenly,” she replied, holding onto the wall to steady herself again.  
“Maybe the run got to you. You probably shouldn’t go shooting if you aren’t feeling great,” Kelsey told her. Dana nodded. “Rain check?” she asked.   
“Sure,” Kelsey replied, “feel better!’

Dana walked to her car, got in, and headed towards her parents. She let her mind wander a bit. Since she started at Quantico, the lease had been up at her apartment, and to help save some money, she decided to move back in with her parents for a few months while going through training. She loved every bit of the last few weeks; the people she met, the things she was learning. She was studying cases and training to be an agent; it was everything she thought of when she agreed to the FBI. In fact, she just learned that as soon as she was done with her training, they wanted her to immediately start teaching classes at the academy. Suddenly her mind wandered to one night in May. She did not think of it as much any more, but from time to time she thought of his hands roaming her body, his tongue licking and sucking over her neck and collarbone, his voice whispering into her ear. She had a hard time getting over William and thought about that night often. She shook her head, as though to clear it, and continued breathing deeply until she got home. 

Scully Residence  
“I’m home” Dana announced as she walked through the front door. The house was quiet, save for a few sounds coming from the kitchen. She slowly made her way and found her mom at the stove working on what Dana presumed was the evening meal.  
“Hi honey, how was work?” her mother, Maggie, asked when she saw her daughter enter the kitchen. Dana kissed her mom and then sat down at the table.  
“It was good,” she replied, stifling a yawn.  
“Are you okay honey?” Maggies asked, putting the spoon down and making her way to her daughter’s side. Dana took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth.  
“I’m fine,” she said slowly, “I think I may have just over done it today during training. I did a fifteen mile run on the course today,” she paused to collect her thoughts. Another wave of nausea flew through her.   
“Actually mom I’m not feeling well. I think I’m going to lay down before dinner,” she stood up and headed for her room. Once there she stripped out of her clothes, threw on her most comfortable set of pajamas, and crawled deeply under the covers. She proceeded to sleep through the afternoon, evening, and night. 

Tuesday, June 15 1990  
Jake’s Bistro

“Dana over here,” Ellen called to her friend as she entered the bistro. They were meeting for dinner near Ellen’s office, having just finished work for the day. Ellen stood up when her friend neared and gave her a warm hug.   
“Hey El,” Dana welcomed, sitting in the chair across from her, “how was your day?”  
“Oh a typical day. Trent’s daycare called and said he threw up. Rob went to pick him up. I almost had to cancel on you but Rob told me to go ahead and get out.  
“Oh my sweet godson,” Dana sighed, then added, “There must be something going around. I haven’t felt well all weekend.” Ellen looked up at her friend. “What happened?” Dana shook her head.  
“I’ve just felt under the weather the last few days. My mom thinks I am training too hard. I was exhausted all weekend, nauseous, and irritable. Maybe I am working too hard,” Dana sighed. Ellen let out a laugh. “Dana, you wouldn’t know what it is like to not work hard. That’s the only way you work. You probably have a bug, that or you sound like I did when I was pregnant with Tre…” she stopped suddenly, eyeing her friend. Dana’s face paled even more, if that was possible.  
“Dana?” Ellen asked, slowly. Dana did not say a word but rather looking off into the distance, as if calculating days in her mind. “Dana?” Ellen said again, though her friend clearly did not hear her. Suddenly Dana’s eye grew wide and she darted from the table with her hand over her mouth. Ellen dropped her napkin and followed her into the restroom, where she heard her friend dry heaving in the bathroom stall.   
“Dana?” Ellen said quietly. The toilet flushed and the stall door opened. Dana emerged with her hand over her mouth.  
“I think we should maybe get out food to go, or at least my food and swing by a drug store before we head back to your house,” Ellen said, putting her arm around her best friend’s shoulders. 

Scully Residence   
Two pink lines. Not one. Two. One for negative, two for positive. Dana stared down at the pregnancy test in her hand. She’d spent the last hour looking at the stick, but it hadn’t changed. Ellen had been with her until 20 minutes before, having to leave to go home to her sick child. Child. There was a child growing in her uterus. A baby. A baby conceived roughly 5-6 weeks ago. How? She and William had been so careful; even in the shower; so careful. A baby. Dana was in deep shit. At the end of the day, she was 23 years old, an adult; with a job and somewhat of a place to live. A baby. She’d always wanted a baby; when she was set in a career, and married, preferably in that order. This most definitely was not in the plan. She didn’t even know William’s last name, or where he worked, or where he lived. She laid back on her bed, holding the pregnancy test above her head.  
“What am I going to do?” she asked no one in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking the next chapter will be more of Mulder's perspective since the one night stand


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where have Mulder's thoughts been and what has he been doing to keep his mind off of Dana?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled writing this chapter; I'm not at good with the Mulder perspective as I am with the Scully. I hope you enjoy though!

Hoover Building  
Tuesday, June 15 1990

“You know Mulder, it’s like you’re a profile ninja,” Agent Baker announced to the room, slapping Mulder hard on the back. They had just wrapped another case, thanks to Mulder’s profile, but his mind had been elsewhere. After the one night stand he’d had a month ago he could not get Dana out of his mind. He thought of her at least 30 times a day; 30 million times. Her smiles, the conversation they had, the amazing sex. It was like they were destined to be together. He even went back to her place three weeks after their evening together, only to find out she had moved the week prior. There was something about her, something special, but Mulder couldn’t place his finger on it, but it was starting to interfere with his…

“Earth to Mulder,” Baker cleared his throat and looked at the other agents around the room. “Yo Mulder!” another agent hollered.   
“Apparently Mulder’s mind is elsewhere, maybe on another planet like those old files he started looking through last week,” Agen John piped in. The guys in the room laughed. When Mulder realized they were talking about him he joined in the chuckle and attempted to focus back on what his fellow agents were saying. Mulder had been trying to distract himself from Dana when he stumbled upon a bunch of dusty old files in the basement of the Hoover building. Once he started reading them he couldn’t get enough, but even the so-called x-files weren’t enough to keep his mind off of Dana and the night they shared together. 

“How do you do it, Mulder? How do you seem to nail the profile each time?” Agent Baker asked. Mulder shrugged his shoulder and replied, “I just try to get into the killer’s head. It’s not a place you want to be. It’s scary as hell but what’s the alternative?” The fellow agents nodded.  
“What are those files you have been snooping through, what are in them? Old profiles?” Rodgers asked. “Something like that,” Mulder commented, not really wanting to divulge his recent reading material. He doubted his fellow agents would be interested in the files he had recently found, paranormal phenomena. They were wild, mind blowing, and some out of this world, literally. The more he read, the more interested he became. But then his thoughts would turn to Dana again   
“We lost him again guys,” Baker said, smiling.  
“Sorry all, my mind seems to be gone today,” Mulder said, smirking.  
“It’s all good,” Baker responded, “why don’t we call it a night team. We can meet tomorrow in our smaller units to debrief the case and get our next assignments.” The agents stood up and began clearing the room. Mulder began gathering his folders. A fellow agent, tall with brown hair, walked slowly towards Mulder.  
“I would love to hear more about those files from the basement.” Mulder looked up into a pair of brown eyes. Reaching for the outstretched arm, Mulder grasped it and said, “I’m Fox Mulder.”  
“Nice to meet you Fox Mulder, my name is Diana.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A jump forward in time. What happens when our favorite duo meet again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you love this chapter as much as I do. It might be my favorite one to date.

Monday, March 10 1993  
J. Edgar Hoover Building

Dana Scully took a deep breath as she boarded the elevator, pushing the button for the basement level, watching it light up like a light bulb. She closed her eyes and licked her lips, a noticeable habit when she was nervous. She’d just been given a new assignment. No more teaching. No more Quantico. Field work. Actual field work. With a partner. Fox Mulder. What kind of a name was Fox anyways? Maybe a family name? Nothing like starting with a male partner who she would have to prove herself to as an agent, not simply a woman. Nothing like changing her job description to turn her world upside down. It seemed like she had only just gotten into a routine when bam… new routine needed. She leaned back into the far wall of the elevator. She could do this, make it work. She always welcomed a challenge; unfortunately multiple people had to adjust when her work schedule changed. However she knew the day was coming, as she told her parents, she was going to be expected to do field work. They supported her to a point, as they saw how happy her work made her.

The elevator hit the bottom floor and Dana almost felt her stomach hit it too. She got off and hesitantly looked around, attempting to see which direction she should head. It wasn’t much to look at. Shelves that hadn’t seen the better part of daylight in what looked like years, filled with boxes covered in dust, filled with files from who knows when. She headed down the hallway, looking for the office of Fox Mulder. She spotted it at the end of the hallway, the door partially closed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wanting to make the best first impression possible. She gave a firm, but quiet knock on the door. A muffled voice answered, “Nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted…”. It was though the sky suddenly opened and a ton of bricks, or rather several tons, fell onto her. That was a voice she would never forget as long as she lived, a voice ingrained in her mind; one that she could pick out of a lineup. It couldn’t be. This was not happening. Of all of people, of all of the jobs, of all of the offices. No, it couldn’t be. She took a long, deep breath, and slowly and hesitantly opened the door.  
She was at a loss for words. He was facing away from the door, looking at a set of slides. He looked exactly the same; save for a pair of glasses. Time stood still. She could not walk away since she had already knocked and entered. She calculated quickly in her head that she had roughly 1.3 seconds to figure out what to say. She opened her mouth but no words came out, as she was in pure shock. Nope, shock didn’t even begin to cover it. She took a deep breath, an ‘I just got the wind knocked out of me and can finally breathe again’ breath.

As if it was all happening in slow motion, the man turned his chair and looked at the figure that walked into his office for the first time. His eyes became wide. His hand rose to the side of his face and he slowly took off his glasses, staring at the figure in front of him. Dumbstruck, that was the only word Mulder could think of. Time stood still for about 2 minutes, neither knowing what to say and neither thinking they could talk first. Dana swallowed her shock first.  
“William…” was all she was able to get out.  
“Dana…” was all he could stammer. Suddenly something snapped in her head and Dana fell into her professional mode.  
“Agent Mulder, I’m Dana Scully, I’ve been assigned to work with you.”

J. Edgar Hoover Building  
“Pick up the phone” Dana stated harshly into her cell phone, as if her sheer will would allow the person on the other end to pick up. She paced outside the front of the Hoover building. She’d just left the x-files office, stating that she needed to pack and that she would see Mulder at the airport the next day. “Come on, pick up!” she shouted again, causing a few agents and other personnel to look at her. She tucked some hair behind her ear and held her phone with her other hand.  
“Hello?” the voice on the other end answered.   
“I need to meet you, now. Starbucks on 8th,” Dana said, hanging up the phone just as the words left her mouth.

Starbucks  
“Dana you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ellen said, walking into the coffee shop. She took in her best friend’s appearance and immediately enveloped her in her arms. Dana burst into tears, which told Ellen something was urgent. Dana never allowed others to see her cry, as she was an intensely private person. Dana was almost to the point of hyperventilating, Ellen said, “honey whatever it is, it will be ok. Here, have a seat.” She guided her friend to the waiting table. Not wanting to let go of her yet, Ellen bent down in front of her and put her hand on Dana’s legs. “What’s going on Dane?”

“I saw HIM,” Dana gulped, attempting to compose herself. She was still in shock and her body was finally reacting to it. Ellen’s eyebrows crinkled in thought. After a heartbeat, her eyes opened wide, as if suddenly registering Dana’s words. She attempted to form a sentence, but nothing came out of her mouth. She closed it again, staring at her friend. All Ellen could do was shake her head, in awe.  
“Wha...whe… ho…” she stammered, still unable to complete a thought. Ellen knew exactly who Dana was talking about. It had taken her friend weeks to get over her one night stand, and when she finally had, he was dredged up again when she found out she was pregnant.  
“Apparently William and I had more in common then we knew. Remember I told you he worked for the government, but he never told me what?” Dana paused, waiting for her friend to acknowledge her. All Ellen could do was nod.  
“He’s an FBI agent,” Dana said. Ellen’s hand went to her wide open jaw. Her eyes showed disbelief. Dana nodded.  
“Wait, weren’t you supposed to get your new assignment today…” Ellen trailed off, asif suddenly catching up to the story in her own mind.  
“Oh Dana…”  
“Apparently William is his middle name. His name is Fox Mulder and he is my new partner,” Dana managed to get out before a new round of tears started flowing.   
“It’s ok Dana, it’s going to be ok,” Ellen reassured her, patting her back calmly.   
“Of all of the jobs…” Dana began. Ellen looked at her friend with a small smile. “Maybe it was meant to…”   
“Don’t even finish that sentence El,” Dana said sternly. “My life is together. I’m doing fine, finally on my own without my parents. We have a set schedule. Now I have to jump into the field, travel, and he is my partner. What do I say to him?” She started hyperventilating again.  
“The truth?” Ellen suggested. Dana looked as though Ellen just told her she killed her dog.  
“Well why not” she asked innocently. “Dana, it’s not like he left you. You guys had a one night stand. You decided that that would be it.”  
“Yeah but it wasn’t it Ellen. He got into my head, it took me weeks and months…” she trailed off. Ellen nodded, remembering how withdrawn Dana had become since the one night.  
“What do I tell my parents?” Dana asked, eyes bugging out, as if this was a whole new problem.  
“Um, nothing for now,” Ellen said. Then, attempting to change the topic she added, “how was he?” Dana smiled, finally, a small smile.  
“Like not a day had passed,” she sighed. “He looked exactly the same. Same eyes, same smile. We didn’t talk about it. Got right down to business. The case Ellen, we started talking about a new case we have.” Ellen smiled unconvinced. “Well you can’t ignore the elephant in the room,” Ellen told her.  
“What the hell do I say? Hey William whose real name is Fox. I really struggled getting over you, I wanted to call you but couldn’t, and oh by the way, I got pregnant with your love child?”  
“Well I wouldn’t maybe phrase it like that. You don’t even have to tell him anything,” she said, but was immediately cut off by a sharp look from Dana’s eyes.  
“Maybe take this case and feel him out… figuratively, not literally,” Ellen said, smirking, “Where is it?”  
“Oregon,” Dana replied, sighing.  
“Perfect. That is a nice long flight for the two of you to catch up. Remember, he has no idea what went on or what you went through. In his eyes it was a one night stand almost 3 years ago, one that, might I remind you, was your choice; I know I am sorry you don’t like hearing that Dane, but it’s true. I am sure a lot has happened to him since too. Yeah I know not as much as what you have been through” she added when Dana gave her the eye.  
“I wouldn’t change it El,” Dana sighed.  
“I know,” Ellen said, hugging her friend. “Go, get to know him and just go from there. And remember, I am just a phone call away. And if I need to come out to Oregon to kick some ass, just let me know and I will kiss Rob and Trent goodbye and come save you.” She finally got her friend to give a genuine smile. “Thanks El.” Dana replied, a little more relieved. She took a deep breath. She could do this… couldn’t she?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first case and an amazing discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me!

Oregon  
Tuesday, March 11 1993

As it turns out, she couldn’t. The plane ride, the ridiculous plane ride, was a joke. They couldn’t talk; heck they weren’t even sitting together. Not to mention some turbulence that had Dana on edge most of the flight. Fox, or Mulder, as he told her to call him, seemed blissfully unaware of dredging up the past. Once they’d landed in Oregon they’d been running the case with no downtime to talk. They’d met strange people, she’d performed an even stranger autopsy, and had spent the evening in the forest. As if all that wasn’t enough, just as she was working on her field report, the power went out in the motel. “Figures. What else could go wrong?” She sighed to herself. Dana, or Scully, as she was getting used to from Mulder’s lips, grabbed and lit a candle and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the water and slowly removed her bathrobe. Just as she was about to pull her panties down, she felt small marks on her mid back. No, she thought to herself, it couldn't be. 

She carefully made her way to Mulder’s motel room. She knocked swiftly on the door and waited on pins and needles for him to open it.   
“Hi”  
“I want you to look at something.”  
“Come on in.” Scully walked into the motel room. Without looking at him, she turned her back, took a deep breath, opened her robe, and dropped it below her ass. She looks over her shoulder, indicating her lower back.  
“What are they?” she asked, fearfully. Mulder lowered his candle to her back, bent down, and looked carefully. “Mulder, what are they?” Panic setting into her voice.  
“Mosquito bites,” he replied, smiling into her back.  
“Are you sure?” she asked, not quite believing him.  
“Yeah, I got eaten up a lot myself out there,” he responded. Scully threw her robe back on, turned around, and flung herself into his arms, relief spreading all through her.   
“You ok?” he asked, nose breathing in her hair.  
“Yes.”  
“You’re shaking,” he remarked.   
“I need to sit down,” she replied, moving towards the small table in his room.  
“Take your time,” he replied, moving to sit on the bed. 

Scully looked at the clock on the bedside table. She couldn’t believe how long they’d been talking. Although in hindsight she should have believed it. They talked with the same ease as the night they met. It was as if almost no time had passed. He told her of his sister, how her abduction had shaped the second part of his life, the after, so to speak. She looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, “Are we just going to dance around it?” Mulder smiled a genuine smile and waited a minute before answering her.   
“Yeah that,” he sighed. “I didn’t really know how to bring that up,” he confessed.   
“Well I guess it is a little awkward when your one night stand becomes your partner,” she said.  
“I thought about that night, and morning, for a long time after,” he confessed, finally looking at her.  
“Me too,” she admitted, although she wasn’t ready to tell him just how much she thought of it.  
“I uh, actually went back to your apartment complex about three weeks later to see you, but the name on the mailbox had changed. I figured you’d moved. I hope it wasn’t because of me,” he gave a half laugh.  
“No. At the time I had decided to move back home while going through training for my new job,” she admitted.  
“Who would have through your training would have been at Quantico,” he sighed.   
“Small world,” she said quietly.  
“Scully, look, I think we get along great. I can tell that you might be just what the x-files needs right now. What do you say? Can we try to move past it, work together, maybe even one day be friends?” he asked, holding his breath waiting for her response. Well, it was now or never, Scully thought to herself. Tell him, she said to herself, just tell him.  
“Yes,” was all she could manage. Suddenly the phone rang and interrupted the moment.

Scully wasn’t quite sure what she signed up for when it came to the x-files but after that first case, as well as several others, she knew this would be no ordinary job. She still hadn’t told Mulder, having no idea how to even broach the topic again. At one point she convinced herself not to tell him. He didn’t need to know, she thought to herself. They were work colleagues, that was it. However deep down, deep, deep, deep down, she knew that was a lie. A friendship was forming and she knew she needed to come clean sooner or later. 

Scully Residence  
Friday, April 16 1993

She was so happy it was the weekend; it had been a long and busy week and Scully wanted nothing more than to stay in her pajamas all weekend. She changed out of her work clothes and walked into the kitchen, looking into the living room on the way, where she would start to make dinner. She pulled some pots and pans out, deciding on spaghetti, as it was easy and well liked, when she heard a knock at the door. She put the empty pan on the table and walked to the door, wondering who her visitor could be. She quickly glanced back to the living room and then into the peephole on her front door. Mulder stood outside, still dressed in the suit he wore at work that day. What is he doing here? Scully thought to herself. She unlocked the door and opened it slightly, placing her body in between the crack.  
“Hey Mulder,” she said slightly nervously, looking up at him.  
“Hey Scully. Sorry to bother you on a Friday night” he started. She wondered if that was really true, if whatever it was was so urgent it couldn’t wait until Monday. She didn’t make a move to let him in, but rather stood in the door staring at him, as if waiting for him to explain himself.   
“I uh, I wondered if I could get your signature on something,” he responded, attempting to look around Scully, hoping she would possibly take the hint and invite him in.  
“Um,” Scully hesitated. Suddenly, behind her was a crash. Scully jumped and ran quickly into the house, as though her life depended on it. Mulder followed quickly behind her and when he got to the kitchen, the scene unfolded as though in slow motion; and he most certainly looked like he had the wind knocked out of him. There was high pitched screaming and Scully sprung into action. She grabbed what looked like a small two or three year old child and pulled her, he could tell from the purple pajamas, to her chest.  
“Shhhhhh,” Scully whispered, snuggling the child close to her. “Did the noise of the pot falling scare you? It’s ok, I’m here. Don’t be scared love,” she cooed to the child. Mulder stood there completely speechless; an utter loss of words. Once the child’s screams and tears dissipated, and Scully picked up the culprit of the noise, a metal pot, off the floor, she turned and looked at Mulder.  
“Mulder, I’d like you to meet Emma, my daughter.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Mulder finds out? How will they continue on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a much longer chapter but I hope you love it as much as I do!

Scully Residence  
Friday, April 16 1993

“You’re a mom,” Mulder said, sitting down on Scully’s couch. She brought him a glass of wine, and, taking a sip from her own glass, she sunk down onto the couch next to him. Emma played on the floor close by with her toys. Mulder watched the little girl with strawberry blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. She didn’t have Scully’s facial features or coloring though.   
“I am a mom,” Scully said, all the while thinking to herself, and you are a dad… how the hell do I tell you?

“Is she ok?” Mulder asked, still hearing the screaming from earlier ringing in his ears. After Scully calmed her daughter down, she opened the fridge and gave her some food item in a tube. She explained to Mulder that she was about to make dinner and asked if he wanted to stay. He was too stunned to speak at that moment, so he nodded his head slightly. Scully made the spaghetti in silence while Mulder watched the little girl play in the living room. They ate quietly, the only sound the little girl’s noodle slurping and quiet babbling. After cleaning up, and pouring wine, Scully asked Mulder to join her in the living room.

“She’s fine Mulder. I think the pot crashing and making a loud noise frightened her because she wasn’t expecting it. I don’t think it fell on her,” Scully said, as she had checked over her daughter thoroughly. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a child?” Mulder asked, taking a sip of wine. He set his glass down and turned to Scully, looking her in the eyes. Scully looked down into her glass, unsure if she could look at him. She took a deep breath and said, “It was never a good time?” she said weakly. Mulder rolled his eyes.

“She’s cute,” Mulder said. After a minute he added, “how old is she?” Scully took another sip of wine, and a deep breath, wondering how fast Mulder could do math.  
“She was two in February,” Scully said quietly; then she waited. After a minute, Mulder let out a deep breath. Thinking that he had some idea, Scully continued. “I had her in February 1991, 9 months after she was conceived in May of 1990…” she let that hang in the air. No time like being brutally honest, she thought to herself. Mulder’s eyes bugged out of his head. She could actually see the moment in his face when he connected the dots. 

“Scully,” Mulder whispered, hoarsely. She didn’t know what to say to him. She kept her eyes on her daughter. 

“When I walked into your office Mulder, I was so shocked to see you after all this time; it took my breath away. I had to deal with thoughts and emotions that I had ignored for a long time. Then we rushed off to Oregon and started working the case…”

“Scully,” he said again, in an even and steady voice.

“I didn’t know how to tell you Mulder. I am so sorry,” Scully whispered. 

“You got pregnant,” he said in a hushed tone. Scully, at this point a single tear forming in her eye, replied, “I got pregnant. Mulder I had no idea how to find you, where you worked, or even what your last name was. I was so lost and scared. I didn’t tell anyone other than my best friend for 12-14 weeks; not even my sister. I was nervous, ashamed in a way; I was about to start a new job and had no idea what to do.” Mulder continued to look at the little girl while he listened to Scully talk. 

“I did weigh all of my options but I knew I couldn’t go through with an abortion, and at the end of the day, when I saw her, I could not imagine giving her up. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I really had no choice, I fell in love instantaneously” she concluded. She neglected to tell Mulder how much she yearned for him, wanted to do anything to find him, how she had fallen for him. 

“I know it is a lot to digest,” she continued, unsure of what to say next. 

“Were you ever going to tell me?” he asked, quietly. Scully knew she needed to choose her next words carefully, so she took a deep breath and responded, “yes, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t want you to find out like this Mulder, truly I didn’t. I guess I was scared. Our partnership is so new Mulder and there is a lot riding on it working…” The numbness started to wear off, Mulder stood up and started pacing.

“Muld…” she started, but he cut her off.

“I need to go. I’ll see you at work on Monday.” He grabbed his coat and walked out the door. Emma toddled over to her mother with her play food in her hand.

“Here ice cream mama,” the little girl said, trying to put toy ice cream in Scully’s mouth. Scully scooped her daughter into her arms and snuggled her close. She knew she would be rocking her extra long before bedtime that night. 

Mulder Residence  
Friday, April 16 1993

Mulder laid on his couch, tossing and turning for the last hour. Nothing on TV to watch; hell even his porn wasn’t going to cut through and take away the emotions tonight. A baby. She’d had a baby. His baby. He had a daughter. Fuck, he wasn’t a father. Millions of little thoughts flickered through his mind, racing like cars at the Indy 500. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be livid. He wanted to rage; but he couldn’t. He tried putting himself in her shoes, thinking about the situation she was in. It wasn’t planned, an accident, and he left no way to get a hold of him. What could she have done? Hell she hadn’t even known his real name. He searched his memories, trying to figure out how it happened. They were careful; each time. What he couldn’t tell her was how long it had taken him to get over her. He fell hard; but that was then and this is now. They had to work together. Did he want to be a father? Would she let him be a father? There were so many questions, questions he did not know the answers to or know if he wanted to know the answers to. He rolled back over, his skin sliding along the smooth leather of his couch. Suddenly he didn’t know if he could wait until Monday to see her; see them. Emotions swelled in him and he couldn’t contain himself. He reached for the phone and dialed the now familiar number.

“Hello?” a muffled voice answered. He waited a beat before responding. “Hey Scully it’s me.” Silence on the other end.  
“I uh, I’m sorry for calling so late. I’m also sorry for leaving so abruptly earlier…”

“Mulder, it’s ok. I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in that situation,” she whispered quietly. She paused, waiting for him to continue.

“Scully I was shocked. No, shocked isn’t the right word. I don’t even know if I know what the right word is. First to see that you have a child and then to find out…”  
“I” she started, but everything she could say seemed so inaccurate of how she was feeling and what she was thinking. 

“Look Scully, I know that I said I would see you on Monday, but I was wondering if we could get together this weekend, maybe tomorrow, and talk?” He held his breath, It was only at that minute he realized that maybe she didn’t want him to see Emma again, or entertain the idea of him being in her life, or her life outside of work. Panic began to set in, as Mulder didn’t even know what he wanted.

“Meet us at the deli on the corner by my place tomorrow at 12:00?” Scully asked.

“I will see you then,” he replied, then added, “night Scully.”

“Goodnight Mulder.”

Ray’s Deli  
Saturday, April 17 1993

Scully walked slowly into the deli carrying her daughter. She glanced around to see if Mulder had beat her there. She saw him sitting at a corner table. She steadily made her way towards him. He stood as she got closer. Next to his seat she saw a small deli highchair and her heart melted with the thought that he had thought to get it for her.   
“Hey Scully,” he said as she made her way over. Scully placed the toddler into the seat and removed her jacket. “Hey Mulder. Thanks for grabbing a highchair,” she told him, offering him a wide smile. He smiled back, but truthfully all he could do was look at the little girl. She was beautiful, the most beautiful child he had ever seen. 

“Emmy, do you remember my friend from last night? Mulder? Can you say hi?” Scully encouraged her daughter, as she sat down after situating herself. The little girl looked at Mulder and waved with her hand, but didn’t dare use her voice.  
“She’s pretty shy around new people. It takes her a bit to warm up. She’s a chatterbox at home though,” Scully explained. Mulder nodded. A waitress came and broke the tension. After they ordered they looked at each other, unsure of where to start.

“When’s her birthday?” Mulder asked, attempting to start with a simple question.  
“February 15th,” Scully replied. “I had her in the middle of a blizzard,” she continued. “I think there was 6-8 inches of snow the day I went to the hospital.” She smiled at the memory. 

“When did you find out?” he asked, knowing she knew what he meant.

“About 6 weeks after. There was a stomach bug going around. I thought I was working myself to death at the Quantico and then had a bug on top of it. My friend Ellen was the one who actually suggested I get a test. I was floored when it came back positive.”

“We were careful Scully,” Mulder blurted out. He then looked ashamed at his words, but she smiled. “I know we were Mulder, I was there. Condoms are not always 100% fool proof.” He looked at the little girl, who was quietly coloring with the crayons Scully had given her.

“Look Mulder. I know that this is a strange situation. It’s awkward as hell and one that you could never have imagined yourself in. I am ok. She is ok. It took a while to get there, but we are. We are happy and healthy and living our lives. We don’t need anything.” She hoped she didn’t sound too harsh, but she wanted him to know that she didn’t need anything from him.

“Can I ask you a question, Scully?” They were quickly interrupted by the arrival of their food. Scully made herself busy cutting up Emma’s lunch. “Of course Mulder, you can ask my anything.”

“If you knew how to get a hold of me, would you have contacted me?” He held his breath, waiting for her answer. She slowly looked up into his eyes. 

“Mulder, I never would have kept it a secret from you. Even before I found out about her I went through my apartment to see if you had left anything there with a clue about who you were or how to get a hold of you. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything. I also couldn’t use the FBI techs for fingerprinting yet,” she said with a laugh, trying to break the tension. 

“I guess it’s kind of a good thing you didn’t do that,” he said, finally smiling. 

“I wanted to tell you so badly Mulder. That night we had was amazing and I knew we had a connection, if I am being honest, I felt it immediately. It scared me. That’s why I pushed you away. Never in a million years would I have thought this would happen,” she said, nodding her head in Emma’s direction, “even though she’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Mulder nodded, seeing she was just as nervous as he was.

“Look Mulder,” Scully continued. “When you sat in the hotel room in Oregon and told me about Samantha, how this quest is all that mattered to you, it made me realize that I couldn’t dump this knowledge on you. You have so much going on with your work and your search for the truth. You said it yourself, nothing else matters…”

“But Scully…” he interrupted. 

“Please let me finish,” she said, her voice steady and even. “Mulder, Emma is my world; my everything. She comes first for me. I live and breathe for her. We have a pretty good life going on. She’s not lacking anything. I don’t want you to feel like you need to step up or do anything that you don’t want to. I’m going to leave it up to you. If you want to be in her life as my friend and work partner, that’s fine. If you want to be cool Uncle Mulder, that would be ok. If you decide that you want to be a father to her, I won’t stop you. But the one thing I will not allow is for her to get hurt or have people in and out of her life. Being a parent is a big responsibility. This has to be your choice, but once you’re in, you’re all in. I don’t want you to give me an answer right now. Take some time and think about it.” Mulder continued looking at the little girl. He knew deep in his heart that he was already falling in love with her. He nodded, not trusting his voice or words. 

“It might change our working relationship or our friendship, but I am willing to try and figure it out if it is something you want,” she concluded.

“Scully,” he said, finally able to get a word in. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Can I spend the day with you ladies?” She looked at Emma and then back at Mulder, smiled, and nodded. 

Scully Residence  
Saturday, April 17 1993

Once they had finished lunch, Mulder and Scully took Emma to the park. At first Mulder was hesitant about playing, sitting back and watching Scully interact with her daughter, his daughter. Scully pushed Emma on the swings, crawled up the playscape, and went down the slide with her. He didn’t know who his eye was drawn to more, Emma or Scully. He would have been content just sitting and watching, when all of the sudden Emma toddled up to him, grasped his pinky, and guided him to the swings. “Push” she had giggled. Mulder lifted her in and began pushing. He could not believe how light and little she was. She clapped her hands each time Mulder’s hand connected to the back of the swing. Every so often he would turn a side glance to see Scully smiling. 

After the park they continued the day of fun. Mulder treated the girls to ice cream, which delighted Emma. Mulder wasn’t sure if more of the melted cone ended up in the girl’s stomach or her face and clothes. The best part was when Emma, her angelic blue eyes gleaming, took a fistfull of chocolate ice cream and tried to shove it in Scully’s face. That led to barking laughter from Mulder’s mouth, which then encouraged Emma to try it again. As Scully attempted to wipe the ice cream from her face, Mulder took a napkin and dabbed the corner of her face that she’d missed. He was amazed at how natural the day felt.

Now Mulder sat on Scully’s couch, eye’s closed, nursing a beer. He listened to the squeals of laughter coming from Scully’s bathroom as she bathed Emma before bed. Mulder took a deep breath and thought about the day, about the monumental decision he knew he needed to make. He couldn’t help but think it was a two-fold problem, no, not a problem, but rather an issue to address. He was a father and nothing was going to change that. Emma had already stolen his heart. If it was just about Emma, his choice would be easy; who was he kidding? None of this was easy. There was Emma, and then there was Scully. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t think about that night often. How easily they communicated, how much fun they had, how mind altering the sex was. He had enjoyed the past few weeks working with her on the x-files. She challenged him in an amazing way. She made him think and work for his theories. Would he be able to keep that partnership going? Would he be able to be a father to their child but just a friend to her? There were so many questions running through his mind, going 150 miles per hour. 

“I started to put her down, but she kept saying ‘Mulder’ so I think she wants to say goodnight to you Mulder,” Scully’s voice brought Mulder out of his thoughts. She carried Emma out on her hip. Emma reached her arms out and Mulder automatically lifted his to clutch the girl. “Night Mulder,” Emma said, yawning while snuggling into Mulder’s chest. Her eyelids were heavy and her thumb went straight into her mouth.

“Do you want to go put her to bed?” Scully asked him. He nodded, not taking his eyes off Emma. He followed Scully down the hallway and into the girl’s room. He laid her carefully down into the crib. Then, ever so slowly, he kissed his hand and then smoothed her hair back. They backed out of the room quietly and retreated to the living room, in search of wine and Mulder’s beer. Once enveloped in the couch, Scully yawned. “I love her, but she can be exhausting,” she said, taking a sip of wine. “I don’t know how you do it Scully,” Mulder commented, in awe. “She’s a good girl. My family helped out a lot in the beginning. They do, especially now that I am working more.”  
“Will you…” Mulder began, but hesitated. “What Mulder? Ask me, it’s ok. I told you I would tell you anything” Scully reassured him. “Would you feel comfortable enough to tell me about her birth? I don’t mean the details, just, maybe the experience?” he asked hesitantly. Scully smiled, not expecting that question, out of all of the ones he could have asked. She took his hand in hers. Then she began.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully tells Mulder about Emma's birth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it has been so long. Life started to happen, but I am back and hope you enjoy this chapter!

Friday, Feb. 14, 1991  
“Dana,” Melissa said, nonchalantly entering the old bedroom that her sister recently moved back into. “Mom wants to know…” she stopped suddenly, looking at her sister, who was sitting on the bed. Dana’s face was puckered, eyes down, and it looked as though she was breathing deeply. Melissa rushed to her side, knelt on the floor, and took her sister’s hands in hers.  
“Dane, what’s wrong?” Dana took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.   
“Nothing Missy, don’t worry. I think it was just a cramp,” Dana assured her older sister. 

She was thankful Missy had been around the past few months. Her sister had become something of a world traveler and was in and out at a moment’s notice. However ever since Dana told her she was pregnant, she’d been a round a lot more. She was Dana’s confidant, best friend (Ellen aside) and the person she was able to depend on the most during her pregnancy. She was the one Dana called when she was feeling overwhelmed or sad or anxious. She went to almost every doctor’s appointment with her, and Melissa gave no judgement when Dana started talking about adoption. As far as family was concerned, Melissa was the only one who knew the whole truth about Dana’s one night stand and how hard Dana had fallen for William.

When she finally divulged her pregnancy to her family she chalked it up to a simple mistake, a night that happened, was stupid, and that was that. Her family reacted as she expected: her father was disappointed, Dana had always been a daddy’s girl, her mother shocked, her elder brother disgusted by her actions, and her younger brother indifferent to the situation. Melissa saw right through Dana’s explanation of that night and pressed her for details later that evening. Dana explained the night to her and just how much she had fallen for William with no last name. Missy started jabbering off about soul mates and that was when Dana stopped listening. However the nights Missy spent at the house with her, she would sometimes hear her sister crying in her sleep.

“Earth to Dana,” Missy said, bringing her out of her daydream. “I’m fine Missy,” Dana said, hoisting herself up off the bed. She wasn’t in a standing position for more than five seconds when all of the sudden a gush of warm liquid fell to the floor and pooled into a puddle at Dana’s feet.  
“I’m going to go out on a limb saying you did not just pee your pants,” Missy said, eyeing Dana sarcastically. Dana rolled her eyes.  
“Your due date isn’t for another week,” Missy said, grabbing a towel from the closest bathroom.  
“Well I guess the baby doesn’t know that,” Dana replied.   
“Shouldn’t we be freaking out? Or getting to a hospital or something?” Missy asked, helping Dana clean up the mess.  
“It’s fine Missy, I’m a doctor…” Dana started.  
“Yeah yeah,” Missy replied, “but you’re not an OB. At the very least we should probably tell mom.” Dana bent over as another contraction took her breath away.  
“Fine, but we don’t have to run. The statistics of first time labors…”   
“Quote statistics to me on the way Dana, get moving,” Missy replied.  
“Mom…” Missy yelled. And off they went to the hospital.

St. Joseph Hospital  
Friday, Feb. 14, 1991

“See, I told you there was no rush,” Dana told her sister, who sat in the chair by her bedside. Once they had gotten to the hospital, Dana was taken to triage and checked. Her contractions were far apart and she was only 3 centimeters dilated. However, because her water had broken, they decided to keep her. Once admitted, Maggie, Dana’s mom, had called Captain Scully who was out of town on business, while Melissa helped Dana get settled. Now it was just a waiting game. Dana was currently listening to her mother ramble on. Dana loved her mother fiercely, however she hadn’t warmed to Dana’s pregnancy like Missy had. She was thankful when Dana had not chosen abortion, but other then that she was very indifferent. Dana had a hard time reading her. Missy, being ever the empath, sensed Dana’s discomfort.  
“Mom, it could be a while. Do you want to go home and get some rest?’ Missy asked, smoothing out Dana’s blanket.  
“Oh no, I couldn’t leave my baby,” Maggie responded, ruffling Dana’s hair.  
“How about going to get something in the cafeteria? You have no idea how long Dana will be at this,” Missy insisted, giving her mother a look. Maggie relented, gave Dana a kiss on her head, and said, “I will be back soon.”

“What can I do for you?” Melissa asked, once Maggie had left.   
“That was plenty, thank you. I love her Miss but I don’t know how I can do this with her hovering,” Dana replied. Melissa scooted onto the bed to snuggle up next to her baby sister. Dana made room for her and hooked her arm through Missy’s.   
“I think she secretly wants you to keep the baby. I know mom and dad were shocked,” Dana rolled her eyes, “okay shocked would be putting it mildly, but I think she has come around and knows that you are thinking adoption…” at the mention of the word Dana’s eyes wandered downward.   
“What?” Missy asked. Dana did not respond.  
“Dane? What’s going on? Something you would like to share with the rest of the class?” Still no response from her sister.   
“Dana!” Melissa said sternly. Dana looked up at her sister with tears in her eyes.  
“Missy I don’t know what to do. I am so conflicted.” Melissa pulled her sister into an embrace.  
“Talk to me Dana.” Dana took a deep breath.

“I see him all the time Miss. I see him in my sleep, when I am awake, when I’m daydreaming. That night was always more than a one night stand to me. We had a connection, from the minute we started dancing. I was so scared by what I was feeling. I pushed him away. I never thought I would be doing this at all, let alone on my own,” she leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder.  
“I want to do what is the best for this baby because I love it. I just don’t know what the best is Missy. I have the time off from the academy after the birth, but then what? How do I do that and care for a baby? An adoptive family could give him or her the best possible life.”  
“But?” Melissa probed.  
“But I don’t know if I can do it,” Dana whispered.  
“Dana, I can’t tell you what to do, but you know my belief that everything happens for a reason. If you decide that the best home for this baby is with another family then so be it. However, if you think that you, being the mother, are the best thing, then I will support you; mom and dad too, I know it. No one can make this decision for you Dana, but I know how much WIlliam meant to you and still does; but you have to make the decision for you, and you alone.” Dana nodded, wiping a tear from her eye.  
“I’ve never been this emotional,” she said. Missy smiled, “I’m sure it’s the hormones.”

St. Joseph’s Hospital  
Saturday Feb. 15 1991

“It hurts, it hurts so much,” Dana sobbed. Almost 18 hours later she was still at it. Her contractions were closer together and she was almost 9 centimeters, but she was losing steam.   
“Dana why don’t you get the epidural,” Maggie suggested, wiping a damp cloth over her daughter’s forehead. Melissa was on her other side, attempting to rub her shoulders, anything she could do to comfort her sister.   
“I told you, I don’t want it,” Dana pantted.  
“Dana you’re going to wear yourself out,” Maggie told her. “You haven't even started pushing yet.” Dana said nothing. Maggie opened her mouth but Dana interrupted in a harsh tone, “Mom if you tell me one more time that you had four kids…” Maggie smiled, not taking Dana’s behavior personally. 

“How are we doing Dana?” Dr. Clemmons walked in.  
“Ready to be done,” she replied, laying her head back on the pillow.  
“Let's take a look,” the doctor responded, heading to the foot of the bed. After checking Dana she replied, “You’re at 9.5 centimeters. I’d say you would be ready to push in the next 20 minutes. How are the contractions?”  
“Coming about every 2 minutes,” Maggie responded. The doctor nodded. “I’ll check back in a little bit.” Once she left Dana let out a sigh. “I just want this to be over,” she cried, whether from pain, exhaustion, or emotions she didn’t know.  
“I know baby, you are doing an amazing job. It’s almost over.”   
“I wish he was here,” Dana cried. Maggie looked stunned, hand going to her open mouth, but Melissa just leaned to her sister’s ear and whispered, “I know honey, I know. And if he was here he would be so proud of you. You are doing an amazing job and in a little bit there is going to be a tiny bundle who you will love with all of your heart. You will love the baby enough for you and William,” Missy soothed. Maggie, shocked for a moment, realized what her daughter needed, repeated, “you’re doing great Dana. It will be over soon.” Little did Maggie know that Dana would be pushing for just under 3 hours

St. Joseph’s Hospital  
Saturday Evening, Feb. 15 1991

Dana laid in the big hospital bed holding her new daughter in her arms. Maggie and Melissa had left quickly after the birth to give Dana some time alone to process, having gone to the cafeteria for coffee. Dana laid the baby out in front of her and unwrapped the blanket. She had already counted fingers and toes, but she wanted to get another good look at her. She picked the baby up again and placed her inside her own hospital gown, reveling in the skin to skin contact. She pushed her nose to the baby’s scalp and breathed in the new baby smell.

“What do you think?” she asked rhetorically. “It’s been 40 minutes and we are doing alright so far, huh? I mean you could use a little work on that whole latching to eat thing, but you’ll get there. What do you think about me? I mean, this is all new for me, but I don’t think I’m doing too bad yet. I can’t believe that you have been in me for 9 months and now here you are. Boy were you a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you. I am sorry that it is just me. Your dad, well I didn’t really know him but there was something there, a connection. I would like to think that if he knew about you he would be here for you. I want to do what is best for you, that’s all I have wanted for the past 9 months. I thought about having another family raise you, give you everything that I can’t. I thought about keeping you but wondering if that is selfish on my part. My friend Ellen and your Aunt Melissa said I would know what to do the minute I met you and I guess in a way they were right, even though I am second guessing myself and probably will for the rest of my life. Just promise one thing, never doubt how much I love you little one.

A soft knock came to the door. Dana looked up to see her mother and sister.  
“Come on in,” Dana replied.  
“How’s everyone doing in here?” Melissa asked.  
“We’re doing ok,” Dana responded, making room for her mother to sit on the bed next to her.   
“This little one and I had a serious conversation and talked about a lot of different things,” Dana started. “I know that this isn’t going to be easy, but at the end of the day, I am her mother and she belongs with me, with our family,” Dana said, looking at her mother. “I’m scared mom and I’m going to need help. I know you and dad are disappointed but…” Maggie cut her off.  
“Sush about that now,” she said, lovingly petting Dana’s hair. “She is here now and you are her mother. She is yours and we love her. We will support you Dana.” Dana cried into the baby’s flesh.  
“What are you going to name her?” Melissa asked, whispering, as the baby seemed to have nodded off. Dana looked down at her daughter and smiled.  
“Emma. Emma Melissa Scully,” she looked at her sister, beaming. Melissa smiled back at her baby sister and then lovingly gave her niece a kiss on her head.  
“Welcome to the world Emma.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will our favorite duo move forward after learning the truth about each other?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it has been so long since my last update. Between getting a new job, freaking out about the upcoming school year/pandemic, and just feeling down and not writing as much, it was difficult. However, here is the next chapter... I hope you enjoy it!

Scully Residence   
Saturday April 17 1993

“So I decided that I couldn’t give her up,” Scully concluded, though she left out some of the more intimate details of her longing for William and gory details about Emma’s birth.  
“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone,” Mulder whispered. He had moved ever so slowly closer to her during the story.  
“Thanks. I wasn’t alone though. I could not have gotten through it without Melissa, or my mom for that matter. After we got home from the hospital my mom really stepped up and helped me learn how to be a mom. Apparently it does not come as natural to everyone. I loved her, but I didn’t know what to do. The first few weeks were really difficult. I was sleep deprived, she wouldn't eat. Missy was a godsend and even my dad came around when he got home. Now she has him wrapped around her finger,” Scully continued, smirking. “We stayed with my parents for about a year. I was able to finish at the academy and start teaching at Quantico. I knew it was time we got out on our own, just the two of us. We’ve gotten into a pretty good routine, although now working in the field and more travel…” she let the sentence trail off.   
“We can focus on cases close to home,” Mulder suggested.  
“That’s sweet Mulder but that’s ok. My parents have already told me they will keep her when I travel. Missy can help when she is home; she’s back to traveling the world, although she has come home more frequently since Emma was born. She doesn’t stay away as long,” Scully explained.   
“You’re amazing,” was all Mulder could think of to say. Scully smiled a genuine smile.   
“Thank you Mulder,” she yawned again.   
“Well I will let you get some rest,” he paused, hesitating.  
“Why don’t we talk Monday?” Scully suggested. Mulder nodded, getting up off the couch. Scully walked him to the door. He opened it, started to walk out, and turned around.  
“She’s amazing too, Scully, a special little girl.” Scully smiled again.  
“I’ll see you Monday. Thank you for today.” He leaned in ever so slightly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Before she could respond he was out the door. Scully lifted her hand to touch the place Mulder’s lips had just been. She was in big trouble!

Scully Residence   
Sunday April 18 1993

Ellen sat in Scully’s kitchen drinking from a warm coffee mug. Scully had called her this morning asking if she wanted to come over to catch up. Ellen hadn’t heard much since Dana’s first case and she was dying to know how it was going. Emma was down for a nap and Scully poured a second mug for herself and joined Ellen at the kitchen table.   
“I told him,” Scully said, blowing carefully on her mug of steaming liquid.  
“And…?” Ellen asked, waiting for Scully to continue.   
“Well it didn’t happen the way I thought it would, that’s for sure. He actually accidentally found out I had a daughter and then I told him he was the father. How do you think he reacted? He was shocked at first; actually got up and left the apartment. Then he called me and asked if we could meet for lunch, so Emma and I met him yesterday. He asked a few questions, then asked if he could spend the day with us. We went to the park, got ice cream, ate dinner here, and then he put Emma to bed after I gave her a bath. He asked me to tell him about her birth so I did. Then he left.”  
Ellen squinted her eyes at her friend, sensing that she was holding something back.  
“And…” Ellen pushed. Dana rolled her eyes, but responded, “and he kissed my cheek when he left.   
“Wow. That is a lot to digest.”  
“I don’t even know how to begin digesting it,” Scully replied honestly. “Ellen, it felt so natural. The day; it was the day I dreamt about since I had Emma. It was like we spent the day as a family.”  
“You are usually the level headed one. Don’t get carried away Dana. You spent one day together, the three of you. He doesn’t know what it is like to be a parent. Hell, Rob has been a father for 6 years and he still doesn’t know what it is like,” she said, smirking.   
“I know that,” Scully replied, rolling her eyes again. “I was just saying it was nice.”  
“So what’s he going to do?” Ellen asked, taking another sip.  
“We are going to talk tomorrow.”  
“At the office?”  
“What’s wrong with that?” Scully asked, inquisitively.  
“Well it’s not like you’re making a business deal or studying a case file. You’re talking about the future format of your family. It’s not something you should talk about in passing at the office.” Scully considered her words carefully. She knew Ellen was right. This was the second biggest decision of her life, next to having Emma, and it shouldn’t be treated lightly.  
“I know you are right,” she conceded, “I just. I don’t know Ellen, I’m scared.”  
“Talk to me.”  
“I told him if he wanted to be a part of Emma’s life then I wouldn’t stop him and how he chose to be in her life and the involvement was up to him. But I made sure he understood that he cannot go in and out. Once he is in, he’s in,” Scully explained.  
“So…” Ellen pressed, not understanding the problem.  
“Ellen, I have to work with him. He is my partner. We are just developing a trust…” Ellen cut her off, “Come one Dana, the trust is already there. You know that. I mean you are the mother of his child. He will do whatever it takes to protect you.”  
“I don’t need protecting Ellen. I went through the same training as he did. I’m actually a better shot then he is anyways.”  
“All I mean is that he will not want to see anything happen to you because of a deeper level; because of Emma.”  
“Ellen, I don’t know if I can do this,” she confessed.  
“You’re in love with him,” she stated matter of factly. Scully looked down.  
“Dana, I know how enamoured you were 3 years ago. I know that you fell hard for him and that it took you a long time to get over him. He’s back in your life now and if I had to bet my money, just from the way you’ve described him, he is going to want to be in Emma’s life. The question isn’t what you want from him for Emma, but what you want from him for you.” Dana stayed silent.  
“Is there anything in bureau policy that states partners cannot become involved?” Ellen asked. Dana shook her head. “I don’t believe so. It’s not exactly looked up upon, but I don’t think it is an explicit rule. But Ellen, we’ve only been working together for a little over a month. We’ve had a few cases.”  
“You’re going to need to tell him.”  
“I can’t,” Scully answered honestly.  
“I don’t know if you have a choice. You may have to tell him how hard you fell for him. But if I were you, I would take it one step at a time and focus on his relationship with Emma first.” Scully knew her friend was right, but it terrified her, which scared her even more, as Dana Scully was not afraid of much.

Later that evening, after the dishes were cleaned and Emma was in bed, Scully sprawled out in her bed, picked up her phone, and dialed the now familiar number.   
“Mulder,” his husky voice answered. She had to take a deep breath before responding. She licked her lips.  
“Hey Mulder, it’s me.”  
“Hey Scully. What’s going on?”  
“I’ve just been thinking today. I know we have a lot to talk about and I am not sure that talking in passing in the office while going through cases is the best thing,” she admitted, honestly.  
“So what are you thinking?” Mulder asked. Scully could sense his smile through the phone.  
“How about dinner next weekend, just the adults. We can talk about our situation, what we would like to see as an outcome. I could ask my friend Ellen to watch Emma; my mom watches her enough during the week, I don’t know if I could ask her on a weekend too.” Mulder was silent on the other end. Whether he was thinking of a joking response to her dinner request, or if he was trying to think of a serious answer, Scully didn’t know. She waited another heartbeat when she heard, “I think that’s a good idea Scully. Let's plan on next weekend.”  
“Ok,” she responded.  
“It’s a date,” he said, nonchalantly,”I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that he hung up. She hung up her phone, focusing on the word date. Surely he was just using it as an expression, wasn’t he?


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mulder needs advice, who does he turn to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for supporting this story. I think there will be one more chapter after this.

Lone Gunman HQ  
Thursday, April 22 1993

“Come on, open up!” Mulder yelled, after knocking and buzzing for at least 5 minutes. Suddenly he heard the noise of the ever present security system of his three unconventional, yet very kind, best friends.  
“Hold your horses,” came a voice from the other side. The door opened to a little man wearing glasses and a wide smile.  
“Long time no see compadre,” he said, moving aside to let Mulder in.  
“Hey Frohike. Where is everyone?” Mulder inquired, walking into the lair.   
“Hey amigos, get out here, Mulder’s here,” Frohike yelled into the back rooms.

Mulder had made a stop at the headquarters of the Lone Gunman, a trio of friends he had had for several years now. They were smart, techy, completely paranoid, and Mulder loved them. He didn’t trust many people in his life, but Frohike, Langly, and Byers were definitely on top of the trust list.

“Mulder, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Byers, a sharply dressed man asked when he saw Mulder sitting at the table. Langly, dressed in a ramones t-shirt, his long, unkempt blonde hair flowing freely at his shoulders, piped up, “Does Mulder need a reason to visit us?”   
“Yes,” Frohike and Byers answers simultaneously. Mulder smirked.  
“So what is it Mulder? Aliens?” Byers asked.  
“Government conspiracies?” Frohike added.  
“Bigfoot?” Langly guessed.   
Mulder took a deep breath and responded, “Woman trouble”. He finally looked up at his friends. The looks on their faces would have definitely been worth a thousand plus words.  
“You do realize where you are Mulder?” Byers asked, sitting down. “Frohike scares women away, Langly can’t get a woman with that mop of hair, and I haven’t been on a date…”  
“Dude speak for yourself, the ladies love the hair,” Langley responded.  
“Yeah and I’m the queen of England,” Frohike interrupted.  
“Are you three going to pipe down and hear what I have to say or do I need to put you in time out?” Mulder asked.  
“What’s up Mulder?” Byers asked, curious about what his friend needed.

“Do you guys remember my one night stand from a few years ago? The one I met at a club after breaking a huge case?”  
“The one you got hot and heavy with not once, not twice…” Frohike started.   
“The one you couldn’t get out of your head for weeks and we had to hear over and over again about how you fell for her but she didn’t want to commit to anything…” Langley said.  
“The one right before you met Diana?” Byer interjected.  
“That would be the one,” Mulder said. Frohike stood up, went to the fridge, and grabbed a beer. He opened it and handed it to Mulder.  
“Why do you feel like you need this?” he asked. Mulder took the beer, cracked it open, and took a swig.  
“Remember I told you that the bureau was assigning me a partner who I thought was sent to spy on me… well…” he left it at that, waiting for them to connect the dots. It took a minute but all of the sudden it seemed to dawn on them.  
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Byers, the first to respond.  
“Dr. Dana Scully; my new partner.”  
“Holy shit,” Frohike replied, eyes almost bugging out of his head.  
“You nail her again yet?” Langly asked. Byers and Frohike gave him an evil look. “What?” he asked.   
“It is so much more complicated than that boys,” Mulder proceeded to tell them about meeting Scully and their first few cases together.   
“I went over to her place to see her, maybe thought we could talk, under the guise of needing her signature. But before I could get her to let me in, there was a noise behind her and she ran from the door.  
“Boyfriend?: Byers asked.  
“Daughter,” Mulder replied. All three of their mouths opened.   
“Hold onto your hats boys because you’re gonna love this. Her daughter, Emma, was born February 1991, about 9 months after she had a one night stand with yours truly.” He let it sink in for a minute.  
“No shit,” Langly said.  
“She got pregnant?” Byers asked.  
“You sure it’s yours?” Frohike added.  
“She has no reason to lie to me. She wasn’t sure how to tell me. She doesn’t want anything from me. She told me that whatever part I want to play I can play,” Mulder explained.   
“How do you feel about all of this?” Frohike asked.  
“I spent the day with them and it was honestly one of the best days of my life. I have fallen in love with that little girl,” he expressed.  
“And her mother,” Byers added. Mulder couldn’t disagree.

“So what’s the problem?” Langly asked.  
“She’s my partner for one,” Mulder responded.  
“Not like you haven’t fallen in love with a partner before,” Frohike reminded him.  
“This is different boys. I can’t explain it. You know what Diana and I went through. Being with Dana back then, working with Scully now; it doesn’t even compare to working and being with Diana. I just… I can’t mess this up. I want to be in their lives,” he said aloud, more to himself than his friends.  
“I think you have your answer,” Byers told him.  
“We are going out Saturday night to talk,” he told them.  
“Well,” Frohike said, “pull out all the stops.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What decision has Mulder come to in regards to not only his child, but Scully as well?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. I finished my first multi-chapter fanfic. It did not go in the direction I'd originally thought it would, but I guess that proves the stories really write themselves. Some smut at the end, which I am not great at writing, but I gave it a shot. Thank you for hanging with me throughout this journey. I have a feeling there will be more stories in this M/S universe, but only time will tell. Enjoy the ending to One Night Stand!

Scully Residence  
Saturday, April 24 1993

“Come on Dana, I know you’re hiding something from me,” Melissa said in a parental tone. It was Saturday evening and Scully was getting ready for dinner with Mulder. She had dropped Emma off at Ellen’s, gotten home, showered, and just as she was getting dressed, her phone rang. She was happy to talk to her sister, but Melissa’s timing wasn’t very good. Scully was nervous enough and she hadn’t told anyone in her family the identity of her new FBI partner.

“I’m not hiding anything Miss, I am just getting ready to go out; you caught me trying to get dressed. Where are you anyways?” Scully asked, looking at herself in the mirror. She was wearing black slacks and a light long sleeve top. She took a deep breath and blew it out.  
“Bangkok, and stop trying to change the subject. Who are you going out with?”  
“A friend,” Scully replied honestly.  
“A date?” Melissa responded, goading her sister.  
“It’s not a date,” Scully insisted.  
“Take off the slacks and shirt and put a dress on,” Melissa told her. Scully looked in the mirror again and smirked. Her sister knew her so well.   
“It’s not a date,” Scully insisted again, all the while pulling the clothes off and looking into her closet for a spring dress.  
“Where’s Em?” Melissa asked.  
“With Ellen,” Scully responded, finding a knee length black and purple dress. It would have to work.  
“She spending the night?” Melissa asked. Scully hesitantly paused, just enough for her sister to catch it.  
“Who is this guy? Come on Dane, do not hold out on me.”  
“Melissa, it is a long story that I don’t have time to get into now. He is going to be here any minute, but I promise when I have a handle on what is going on, I will let you know.  
“I’m going to hold you to it Dana Katherine” Melissa said, smiling into the phone, “love you.”  
“Love you Miss, see you soon,” Scully responded, hanging up and tossing the phone on her bed.

Ellen had offered to keep Emma for the night, simply for the fact that Scully did not know how long she would be out and it would be a shame to wake a 2 year old to take her home. Scully resisted, but in the end, Ellen won.

Scully checked her hair in the mirror one more time and then heard a knock at her door. They agreed that Mulder would pick her up; no sense in taking 2 cars or 2 cabs. She walked swiftly to the door and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes did a double take. He was standing before her in dark jeans, a black shirt, and his leather jacket; and he looked absolutely amazing. Scully had no idea how she was going to get through this evening.

“You look nice,” he said, handing her a bottle of wine. She backed into the apartment and he followed. “I didn’t really know a good ‘meeting my work partner/mother of my child to discuss the situation over dinner’ present so I figured wine would always be welcome,” Scully let out a laugh.

“You say it like you don’t do this often,” she said, taking the wine from him, placing it on the counter, and smiling.

“You can say that again,” Mulder said, grinning. Scully stared at his bottom lip. She loved that bottom lip. Oh what she wouldn’t give to feel that lip one more…  
“You ready? Reservations are in 30 minutes,” Mulder said, pulling Scully out of her thoughts. She looked up at his face, smiled, and nodded. He escorted her out of the apartment, one hand glued to the small of her back.

Aubree’s Italian Bistro

They had gotten to the restaurant without an issue, made their reservation and were being seated. Mulder pulled out the chair for Scully to sit and he ordered a bottle of wine he knew she liked.

“Mulder,” Scully started.  
“Look Scully. Before you say anything, I know that is awkward as hell. We can pretend to dance around the issue or just be upfront with each other.”  
“What issue is that?” she asked, her cheeks slowly turning red. Did he know? Was he feeling it too? Could they actually, just maybe have a relationship?  
“Emma,” Mulder said, thanking the waiter for the wine. Scully bit back her emotions and replied, “right, Emma.”  
“Is there something else?” he asked, looking at the menu. Scully shook her head and replied, “Let’s figure out what we want to eat and then we can talk about Emma.”

They ordered quickly, both hungry, and then Scully looked at Mulder, waiting for him to say something.

“I uh,” he started, pushing his hair back with the palm of his hand, “I’ve been thinking about this all week and I can’t even begin to describe the emotional roller coaster…”  
“I’m so sorry Mulder,” Scully started, but Mulder put his hand up to stop her. “It's my turn now Scully.” Scully took a piece of bread and nibbled at it while she waited for Mulder to continue.

“I want to be mad, upset, angry, annoyed, but I can’t be and frankly have no right to be. If the situation were different; if you had known me and not told me, if you had ignored me, I could be those things, but Scully I can’t be, I can’t be mad at you. You made a difficult decision and I was not there to support you. That is something that I will always regret. However, now that I met her and spent time with her, I cannot imagine not being in her life. I would like the chance to be a parent to her. I know that I have no experience being a parent and that I have a lot to learn. I also know your concerns with work and my search for the truth, but Scully, spending time with Emma, knowing that she is a part of me; I want to be with her, watch her grow. I’ve missed too much and I do not want to miss another minute. Hear me when I say I would quit the FBI tomorrow if it meant being a father to her; that is my new truth.”

Scully blinked, looked at Mulder, and suddenly declared, “I fell in love with you…” and before the words left her mouth her hand came up over her lips to silence herself. But it was too late. Although slightly muffled, Mulder heard every word. He sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and opened his eyes wide; wider than any pair of saucers he’d ever seen. They sat there, neither one able to speak. The waiter brought the food, however even that was not enough to break the thick tension at the table.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to him after a few minutes, once gaining her composure back, “that just sort of slipped out.” He raised his eyebrows but still did not say a word. 

“Mulder, I may have underplayed how I felt after our one night stand,” Scully began to explain. She figured now that the cat was out of the bag she’d better lay it all on the table, otherwise they would never be able to co-parent, let alone work together.   
“I uh, I fell for you Mulder, hard,” she said honestly. “The week after, two weeks after, I couldn’t eat, sleeping was difficult. I felt crazy because that wasn’t me. I didn’t meet people and fall in love. It took me 10 months to say I love you to my last relationship and then it ended. I don’t let go of control often. But there was something about you Mulder. You took my breath away. There was a connection; I don’t know if you felt it, but I sure as hell did. I had finally just started getting over you when I found out I was pregnant and between the hormones and life in general I spiraled into a dark place. I was angry for a while. I was mad because I didn’t want to be pregnant. I didn’t understand. I thought maybe god was punishing me for a one night stand. But then I kept thinking about that night, knowing that there was love and passion, so at least I knew that my baby was created out of that. I downplayed that night when I told my parents about the pregnancy. Only my sister saw through me and to this day her and my friend Ellen are the only two who know how bad it was. I’m sorry to throw all of this on you, but if we are going to work together and co-parent, I figured you had a right to know. And I don’t expect a response or a reciprocation or anything…”

Mulder leaned forward and took Scully’s face in his hands. His lips descended on hers and for 30 seconds or so, they were both quiet, wrapped in each other's mouths. Mulder pulled back and smiled. “I think we have a lot more to talk about then we initially thought. How about we get the food to go?”

Scully Residence  
Saturday, April 24 1993

Scully fumbled with her keys, shaking hands made it difficult for her to get them in the lock; that and Mulder sucking on her neck while standing behind her. She finally turned the lock and opened the door. They made their way in, Mulder unable to keep his hands off her; one hand on her shoulder, one around her waist. He kicked the door closed behind them. He followed her to the kitchen, lips still attached to her neck. Scully placed the food in the fridge and then turned to face her partner.

“What time do you have to pick up Emma?” he asked, mouth descending on Scully’s lips for a quick peck.  
“Technically not until tomorrow. Ellen offered to keep her…” before the words were completely out of her mouth, Mulder picked her up and began walking back to where he thought her bedroom would be.

Once inside he placed her in the middle of her bed and lowered down to meet her. His lips enveloped hers, his tongue sliding against her lips and then her teeth when she opened her mouth to him. He slid his arms around her back and pushed her to a lying position. Her arms went to Mulder’s face, one hand on each side, as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. She quickly retracted it and pulled his bottom lip into her mouth and began sucking fiercely. Mulder’s hands were everywhere, her back, stomach, creeping under her dress. She let go of Mulder’s lip long enough to whisper, “Mulder, what are we doing, we need to talk?” He smiled into her cheek and replied, “I think you know Scully; we can talk later.” He placed kisses up and down her neck.

“I guess the question is should we be doing this?” She asked, breathing heavily. Her hands were at the hem of Mulder’s shirt. She was on the fence of ripping it off of him or retreating and locking herself in her bathroom; if they continued, she wouldn’t be able to stop. Mulder leaned his forehead against hers and sighed.

“I know you’re scared Scully. I am scared too. I know you are thinking of the office, and Emma, and the millions of complications that could come of this. But you know what? I think everything is going to fall into place. I’m more worried about what happens if we don’t take this leap of faith.” He kissed her temple. “Do you want to stop?” She looked up into his eyes and in that moment, she just knew; she knew it would be alright.

“Make love to me Mulder,” she whispered, taking his lip in her mouth again. That was all he needed to hear. He slowly lowered the zipper on her dress and let it fall in a heap on the floor. She stepped out of it, standing in front of him in her black lace bra and panties. He inhaled sharply and licked his lips. She stepped forward and pulled his shirt over his head. They had all the time in the world. He lowered her back to the bed. He could smell her arousal and he couldn’t wait to dive him. He slowly kissed down her body, taking her panties with him. He found her center and began lapping her up. God she was wonderful.

“Oh Mulder,” she moaned and it was heaven to his ears, finally hearing his name on her lips after all these years. He latched onto her clit and began sucking, alternating licking her folds. She thrashed in the bed, grabbing tightly to her sheets. The faster he went the heavier her breathing became, He could tell she was close so he quickly slipped one, then two fingers inside her, fingering her G-Spot. It took roughly 30 seconds before she was coming and calling his name. He kissed up her body, to her lips. She took him in her mouth, tasting herself on him. She unzipped his pants and pushed them slowly down. “Turn over Mulder, on your back,” she commanded. She couldn't wait to get him in her mouth. Normally she hated giving blow jobs, but the thought of having Mulder’s rock hard cock in her mouth was not only appealing to her, it was a turn on as well. 

She kissed around the head of his penis, alternating between licking and sucking. Using her hand, she cupped his balls gently and then gave a little squeeze. “God Scully,” Mulder moaned. She picked up the pace for a minute before she heard, “Scully you need to stop. It’s been a while and I want to feel you…” he managed to get out. She let him fall out with an audible pop and kissed the inside of his thighs. He let out a sound, somewhere between a moan and a whistle. 

“Condom?” Mulder asked, pulling Scully on top of him.  
“I’m on the pill,” she replied. His eyes asked if she was sure, and before he could say anything else, she plunged down on him. She began rocking back and forth, capturing his mouth with hers. He loved that she was taking control. She grabbed one of his hands and placed it on her waist and took his other hand and interlaced his fingers with hers.

“Scully,” he panted, “I’m not…” She silenced him with another kiss.  
“It’s okay Mulder, let go,” she assured him. He lifted his mouth to suck on her nipples as she picked up the pace. The hand on her hips felt like a furnace, slowly raking his nails over her flesh. He bit ever so slightly on her nipple and she let out a yelp. He would feel his imminent release and desperately wanted her to come again. He moved his hand to rub her clit and within a minute of contact she let out a scream. He felt her milking his cock and he was a goner. He moaned her name and spurted his cum deep within her. Breathing heavily, she laid down on top of him, not wanting to break the connection just yet. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled so they were still connected and facing each other. 

“Just as good as I remember,” Mulder said, kissing her softly on her lips. Scully smiled, but remained quiet.  
“I fell for you too Scully,” he whispered into her hair, “I didn’t want to admit how much, but I had a really hard time getting over you.” She smiled a soft smile.  
“What do we do now Mulder?”  
“Figure it out as we go?” he responded.  
“Emma?” she asked.  
“I want to see her as much as you will let me,” he told her, nuzzling her neck.  
“I want that too Mulder, but I am fiercely independent…”  
“We will take it at your speed Scully. One day at a time. You call the shots,” he said, kissing up and down her jaw.  
“Work?” she asked. Mulder leaned up on his elbow, playing with Scully’s hair with his free hand.  
“I don’t know Scully. What I do know is that I can’t not have you in my life. Can we figure it out as we go? Keep communication open?” She nodded, kissing his chest.  
“What time do we need to get Emma?” he asked again. Scully smiled at his use of ‘we’.  
“Ellen told me to enjoy my morning,” Scully said, smirking. She leaned in and kissed Mulder square on the mouth.  
“You hungry?” Mulder asked her. Scully nodded but had a wild look in her eye.  
“For food?” Mulder asked. Scully slowly shook her head and before he knew it, she descended on him again.

They made love again, long into the night. Amazing what a one night stand could lead to.


End file.
